Biography MIchael Plautz

At one time drawing was the essential skill that separated artists from the rest of us, but no more. Now some big-buck artists can barely scribble. Still, there's something mesmerizing about the ability to make faces and places appear on a page using nothing more than a pencil, a chunk of chalk or a wash of tinted water. To some it comes as a gift, like a musician's perfect pitch or an athlete's superb coordination. But it's also a skill that can be learned and improved through a lifetime of practice.